Thoughts on Life, Love, Politics, Hypocrisy and Coming Out in Mid-Life

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Why I am Not Feeling the Bern

As noted last night in a post, I like some of the issues that Bernie Sanders is talking about, but I continue to have doubts on his ability to win in the general election and, even if he were to win, whether any of his proposals could ever be implemented. On some issues, he's like Donald Trump: sound bites and slogans, but short on any substantive or detailed plans. Yes, America's healthcare system remains badly broken and Americans continue to pay far more than in any other country in the world for one of the least effective systems. Yes, big money in politics is a serious problem, but does Sanders offer any viable solution? Yes, the system is rigged and the middle class have been sold down the river, often by appeals to racism and religious extremism. But can Sanders really work a change. Then there's foreign policy. What does Sanders propose in detail? A piece in Huffington Post summarizes many of my misgivings. Here are excerpts:

I began this campaign as a Hillary fan who respected Bernie
Sanders and what he had to say about the economy and U.S. politics. I'm not
surprised that this message has appealed to so many people, both those I know,
and those I don't, in part because it's something which has gotten less
attention than it has deserved, even if there are problems with elements of it.

In my calmer moments, I think
that the Sanders campaign might represent a positive shift for the discussion
of certain topics within the Democratic Party and the broader populace.
Listening to him over the past year, however, I began to increasingly believe
that for all the positive things his campaign represents, it also represents
something deeply problematic: a fetishization of not knowing.

For me, this probably began with
the discussion over foreign policy. . .
. . I think there is space for multiple proposals about what we do now, and
though I'm sympathetic to much of what Obama is doing and Hillary is suggesting
continuing, I would have thought a liberal candidate for the presidency would
have been talking about the need for increased foreign aid, or greater openness
to refugees, or, well, something.

Instead, his primary comment on international affairs
seems to be to reiterate and reiterate and reiterate that he had voted against
the Iraq War in 2002. When forced to discuss other matters, he quickly bobbles.
In the most recent debate, he seemed unsure about whether North Korea has a
single or multiple dictators, and then managed to take both positions in a
matter of minutes about whether the U.S. should negotiate without preconditions
with other countries.

Now, Bernie Sanders is not the
first candidate to not be an expert on even something as significant as foreign
affairs. But what's deeply troublesome here is how he seems to have no respect
for knowledge on it. It's visible in the almost-disdain he expresses for
Hillary Clinton's experience on the matter. She had been Secretary of State for
four years, but he has been in Congress for more than two decades. Exactly when
does he think he'll have sufficient experience to speak fluently on foreign
policy?

Even more disconcerting has been
his apparent unwillingness to find advisers to help bridge the gap. It was only
15 years ago that Democrats mocked George Bush Jr.'s disinterest in foreign
policy; he at least had the courtesy to be embarrassed by what he didn't know,
and hired a staff, including professors of international relations and former
Secretaries of Defense, to help. They proved to provide much terrible advice,
but there was at least an effort to appear informed. Sanders hasn't done so.

But foreign policy isn't a crucial part
of the Sanders campaign. Health care, though, is. Five years ago, Sanders
proposed a universal health care bill that failed to get any co-sponsors. When
he was reticent to provide information about what plan he was proposing now, the
Clinton campaign started to criticize that bill. In response, Sanders withdrew
his support of that bill, meaning it now had zero support. Shortly before the
Iowa caucuses, Sanders proposed a new plan, which was written by Gerald
Friedman, a professor of economics at U-Mass Amherst, whose research focused on
the history of the labor union movement in France and the U.S. The plan would
cost in the area of $14 trillion over 10 years. . . .

When the Sanders campaign was presented
with this disparity, as well as others, they quickly attacked Thorpe, and then
changed their numbers to acknowledge $444 billion per year of increased costs,
but also, instantaneously, magically, found the same number of savings
elsewhere. This is not how somebody tries to suggest a serious effort to
improve the deeply problematic health care plan in the U.S.

For efforts to promote human rights, these are the people
one would expect to have the most understanding of how to do so. One of the
fascinating things about this campaign has been seeing how so many of those who
should know Bernie Sanders the best, and have worked the hardest on what would
appear to be his issues, have been so eager to oppose him. He spent more than a
decade in the House; of the 188 Democrats there now, two endorsed him, and 157
endorsed Hillary.

Sanders serves in the U.S. Senate
with 45 Democratic-voting colleagues; not only have none endorsed him, but 39
have endorsed Hillary. Sanders has been a significant figure in Vermont
politics for four decades. Patrick Leahy, his fellow Senator from Vermont,
endorsed Hillary. The incumbent governor of Vermont, and two former Democratic
governors of Vermont, endorsed Hillary.

Sanders has focused on issues
relating to the labor movement; virtually every single major labor union has
endorsed Hillary Clinton.

Again and again, when the Sanders campaign
learns of these moves, the emphasis is on their being parts of the
establishment. And they are parts of an establishment. But if this
establishment is the enemy, then on whose side is he?

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Out gay attorney in a committed relationship; formerly married and father of three wonderful children; sometime activist and political/news junkie; survived coming out in mid-life and hope to share my experiences and reflections with others.
In the career/professional realm, I am affiliated with Caplan & Associates PC where I practice in the areas of real estate, estate planning (Wills, Trusts, Advanced Medical Directives, Financial Powers of Attorney, Durable Medical Powers of Attorney); business law and commercial transactions; formation of corporations and limited liability companies and legal services to the gay, lesbian and transgender community, including birth certificate amendment.

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